Review: ‘Jurassic World’

JurassicPark_Poster

No one really asked for it, yet here it is, “Jurassic World,” the fourth installment of the dinosaur-centric film franchise famously started by Steven Spielberg in the early 1990’s, based on a best selling book by popular novelist cum film maker Michael Crichton. Are you okay with more rampaging dinosaurs and scared kids running for their lives and only half-lively banter between a pair of normally very likable leads? Then we got the movie for you.

“Jurassic World” starts with a pair of brothers, high school aged Zach (Nick Robinson) and younger wide-eyed Gray (Ty Simpkins) getting sent off to a fully functioning “Jurassic World,” the official name of the theme peak carrying out the dreams and ideals of its founder and featuring a couple dozen dino species in the forms of different rides and exhibits, and the reason they can apparently go is because their aunt Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) works there as the theme park operations manager. And Claire does the movie-typical thing of letting work come first so she offloads the kids to some assistant so she can conduct some business while the kids check out the park. For no apparent reason they ditch their chaperone and check out some rides on their own.

In the meantime, a giant genetically modified and improperly raised dino-monster escapes from its enclosure and makes its way to the park. Bad timing.Continue Reading …

Review: ‘Spy’

spy_xlg

Melissa McCarthy and Paul Feig killed it with “Bridesmaids,” and they even made some of that sweet cash money with the not-as-good “The Heat” (a movie that I didn’t dislike but felt could have been developed more beyond it’s initial premise), and here they are with “Spy,” their third go-around together in the form of a spy movie spoof. And let me tell you, as unpromising as “Melissa McCarthy spy movie spoof” sounds, this thing actually works damn well on a few levels and may be the biggest surprise of the summer for me.

“Spy” is about Susan Cooper (McCarthy), a CIA Agent who works at the headquarters as a desk jockey, talking to a field agent through an ear piece and providing important and life saving information during each mission. The agent she has been working with is Bradley Fine (Jude Law), a total James Bond type of spy, and they work really well together and she also obviously loves the guy very much. So when a mission goes wrong and he is killed by a wanna be nuclear weapons dealer named Rayna (Rose Byrne) and it turns out that Rayna knows the identities of all of their field agents, Susan volunteers to go into the field for the first time on a simple “search & report” mission. And of COURSE she gets in way too deep and does much more than just report, as she feels she can stop Rayna and the nuclear weapon deal herself.Continue Reading …

Review: ‘Entourage’

Entourage-5

Do you have to be a fan of the original “Entourage” HBO television series in order to enjoy the “Entourage” movie? Yeah most likely, or else you won’t understand who these characters are or why they do what they do. But will being a fan of the show guarantee that you will like the movie version? That depends on how low you set your bar for cinematic expectations. Because “Entourage” the movie is just an overly long, low stakes, lightweight episodic installment of the first world problems of people who are absurdly rich and hugely successful already.

In the television show, we started out with movie star to be Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his “entourage” of friends and they started out at the bottom, with minimal credits and experience and a long shot at “making it.” Over the course of eight seasons, they clawed their way to the top, and along with Vince’s agent Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven), they all became hugely successful one way or another, got what they wanted, and ended the show on top of their respective worlds. Vince is a huge movie star and gets married, his best friend and manager Eric (Kevin Connolly) has a successful agency, his brother Johnny Drama (Kevin Dillon) followed up two runs on successful shows with yet another successful show, Vince’s driver Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) has become a tequila millionaire, and Vince’s agent Ari has enough money to retire in Italy with his wife.Continue Reading …

Netflix pick for 6/9/15 – ‘Beginners’

beginners_poster

Need a little respite from these summer blockbusters? Tired of the parade of soulless product designed specifically to make money? Want something intimate and personal and real? “Beginners” is the perfect solution for your needs, thanks to its wonderful acting, great story and excellent direction, a fantastic film made with the clarity of vision not possible when making a film by committee a la everything that comes out between May and July every single summer.

The movie, written and directed by Mike Mills, centers on Oliver (Ewan McGregor) during a crucial time in his life. His relationship with his father (Christopher Plummer, who won an Academy Award for this performance) in the final years years of his life took a turn when his father came out of the closet following the death of Oliver’s mother, and when his dad starts being a more honest person about who he is, his relationship with his son starts to improve as well.

And Oliver also meets Anna (Melanie Laurent) at a party and coming off his own failed relationships, he decides to finally take a chance and try his hand at this romance thing once more, and the portrayal of this evolving relationship is very real and personal and rings true, much like the rest of the film, which is why it all works so well. It has its own unique voice and makes for a wonderful little movie.Continue Reading …

#126 – The Brotacular Now

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | RSS

Episode126_TheBrotacularNow(Right Click Download Link To Save)

In episode 126, Chris Crespo and Drewster Cogburn review Entourage and Chris also reviews Spy.

Also discussed in this episode:

the origins of Jurassic World, the Internet Archive digitizing 40,000 VHS tapes, Big Trouble in Little China remake, James Wan directing Aquaman, a stand alone Showtime streaming service is coming in July, Jason Statham may do a Marvel show, Nicolas Winding Refn’s next project, and so much more!

Continue Reading …

Bonus Episode – Best Of Cinema Crespodiso

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | RSS

BonusEpisode_BestOf(Right Click Download Link To Save)

In this BONUS episode, Chris Crespo and Drewster Cogburn present five memorable moments from the Crespodiso back catalog, which features:

Soul Brother Kevin from The SBK Live Show.

Tom the Beer Guy from Orange Blossom Brewing.

Carl Verna the Video Burner.

DJ Baby Lac.

Curtis Earth.

Matt from The SBK Live Show.

Enjoy!

Continue Reading …

Review: ‘Aloha’

aloha

“Aloha” is a movie that is not very good at all, mostly because it can’t decide it if wants to be a story about a disgraced military contractor moving on from past mistakes, or about a guy reconnecting with an old love and coming to terms with their new lives, or about a guy meeting a gal and how they fall in love with each other, or about the militarization and annexation of Hawaii by the U.S. government, or the appreciation of Hawaiian culture and how the “white man” keeps tearing it down by making promises to the locals and then betraying them, or about coming to terms with being a parent, or about the U.S. military engaging in private contracts with multi-billionaires. This all combined somehow into one movie and made for a mess of a picture.

“Aloha” starts with Brian Gilcrest (Bradley Cooper) arriving in Hawaii, where he sees some people he hasn’t seen in years, namely before he totally sold his soul to be a contractor facilitating arms deals in the Middle East (or something like that). He sees old flame Tracy (Rachel McAdams) and meets her children for the first time, which includes a 12 year old daughter who happened to come in to this world less than a year after Brian and Tracy broke up. Hmmm, I wonder if this will come back around in some way (of course it does, it is telegraphed from the opening). Brian puts on the puppy eyes and sort of tries to get back in with Tracy, though romantic overtures don’t seem to be what he’s really after, especially since he’s kinda buddy-buddy with Tracy’s current husband Woody (John Krasinski).Continue Reading …

Netflix pick for 6/1/15 – ‘The Act of Killing’

frontpage-23

“The Act of Killing” is a fascinating documentary about some Indonesian gangsters in Jakarta who were hired in the 1960’s to form death squads, rolling through the country killing anyone and everyone under the guise of rounding up communists, and how these gangsters all these years later are in control of the country and think what they did was the proper thing to do. They agree to participate in making this movie thinking it would be an exultation of their exploits, when in reality it makes them look at their past deeds with an unflinching eye, forcing them to face the horrors they perpetuated in the name of their government overlords.Continue Reading …

#125 – Kung Furry

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | RSS

Episode125_KungFurry(Right Click Download Link To Save)

In episode 125, Chris Crespo and Drewster Cogburn review Aloha and Chris reviews San Andreas.

Also discussed in this episode:

Kung Fury, Harbinger Down, Big Hero 6, The Two Faces of January, Rick Baker retires, The Legend of Conan, Tilda Swinton in Dr. Strange, Tron 3 cancelled, plus much more!

Continue Reading …

Review: ‘San Andreas’

SanAndreas_MoviePoster

Dwayne Johnson should be the world’s biggest action star right now. Why he isn’t, I have no idea. Why can’t he can’t into better projects that feature him? Because when he gets inserted into something like a “Fast & Furious” movie or a “G.I. Joe” sequel, or even as a sidekick in a Michael Bay-Mark Walhberg movie, he is easily the best part of those films, whether they are good or bad. But then we have something like “San Andreas.” When he gets the chance to be the lead, it is almost always in a movie that is just not good, no matter how much charisma he pumps into it. Like “Hercules,” we have Mr. Johnson bringing his A-game to a movie that just doesn’t work out, for a myriad of reasons.

In “San Andreas,” Ray (Dwayne Johnson) is dealing with the recent separation and impending divorce from his wife whom he still clearly loves Emma (Carla Gugino), and it’s one of those separations that seem to be as amiable as it gets. Emma has a new super rich architect boyfriend named Daniel (Ioan Gruffudd) which does make things a little awkward. And in the middle of all this is Ray and Emma’s college age daughter Blake (Alexandra Daddario). And when the movie starts, despite Ray having to break plans with his daughter because of work related stuff and despite the divorce, all of these people get along pretty great. Whereas other movies would use this to make Ray seem like a workaholic and his family resentful of it, Blake is super understanding of her dad’s job. And when Ray and Emma have a little tiff over her plans to move in with Daniel, Ray gets in touch with Emma the very next day and apologizes and she accepts it and it is all hunky-dory. And when it seems like Daniel would be trying to move in as “new dad” and possibly have a hard time relating to Blake, he turns out to be kind and thoughtful, and he’s all like “I’m not here to replace your dad or what you have with him, I just wanna be like cool and stuff,” and Blake is all smiles and she’s like “hey thanks man I really appreciate that.”Continue Reading …